Women's rugby shines at AIC

AIC women's coach Mel Denham left, and senior Jess Davis are both on the Team USA roster for the Nations Cup, which opens July 30 in Greeley, ColoRepublican photo

What are the odds of a Division II sports program having two representatives on a U.S. national team?

Long odds, indeed, but that’s what happening with women’s rugby, an emerging sport at American International College.

Rugby for men and women first came to AIC four years ago at the urging of president Vincent Maniaci. He got the program going at the club level by hiring young dynamo Josh Macy as the school’s first rugby coach. Then, in 2012, Macy brought in Chicopee resident Mel Denham to take over the women’s program.

Now look. Both Denham and one of her AIC players, senior Jess Davis, play for Team USA, which will compete in the Nations Cup tournament July 30 to Aug. 10 in Greeley, Colo., at the University of Northern Colorado. The American squad will play South Africa on July 30, Canada on Aug. 3 and England on Aug. 7.

The Team USA roster consists of 28 players. For AIC to have two of the 28 spots is impressive, indeed.

“Considering that rugby did not exist at AIC before 2010, this is quite an accomplishment for our program and just one more step in establishing AIC as a mainstay in U.S. collegiate rugby,” said Rich Bedard, the college’s director of athletics.

Mainstay, indeed. Both the men’s and women’s teams often face Division I opposition.

As Macy said, “The first time we played Harvard, we gave them such a good match, they told us they want to keep the rivalry going.”

With the hiring of Denham, women’s rugby at AIC gained immediate credibility, because of her extensive background in the sport. A native of Norwell, she played collegiately at Bridgewater State, then joined a club team, Beantown Rugby. There, she so impressed Team USA scouts that she gained a national berth soon after college.

At age 32, she already has earned 19 “caps” as a Team USA player. A “cap” in rugby goes to a player each time she takes part in an international match. Denham’s first one came in 2008, against England.

“They don’t actually give you a cap every time, just the first time. After that, you get pins and medals for each tournament you play, but they still call that getting a cap,” Denham said.

Davis earned her first “cap” in June, when Team USA played an international series against France. The American squad won the first match 13-10. France won the next two, but each match was close.

Davis, a native of Rescue, Calif., entered the first match against France in the 74th minute, then played an entire half in the second match.

This actually is her second trip to the international competition.

“Jess made the national team last September, and toured with them. She didn’t play, but just having the experience of being with the team and seeing international matches served her well,” Denham said.

As a freshman in 2010, Davis captained the AIC team in its first year of competition. Since then, she has been named a Collegiate All-America, and played for the Under-20 Women’s national team. In the classroom, she carries a double major in biology and criminal justice.

“In international rugby, nobody plays every game,” Denham said. “It’s a sport of endurance and running, and in tournament play, there is not much of a break between matches, and in that break time the team has to keep practicing. I’ve had tournaments where I could barely feel my legs at the end of it.”

Denham said the Nations Cup carries special weight, because from that competition, the U.S. coaching staff – led by Peter Steinberg of Penn State – will get a better idea of which players to carry into 2014, when the World Cup of Rugby will be contested.

For every collegiate and international rugby match, the teams have 15 on a side, and a total of 23 on the active roster for that day.

Rugby can be best described as a combination of football, lacrosse and soccer. It consists basically of continuous action, with time called only for injury or when the ball goes out of bounds.

“Once you start playing rugby, you’re hooked – you can’t get it out of you,” AIC men’s coach Macy said. “It’s been said that people who play rugby love their sport more than those who play other sports, and I believe that.”

Denham loves rugby because of its team concept and the continuous action on the field.

“Every player has to rely on his or her teammates. No one does anything alone, and that leads to real team bonding,” she said.

As Denham and Davis represent AIC in national competition, they help spread the word about rugby at AIC.

“It definitely helps me with recruiting,” Denham said. “This fall I have Cassidy Myers of Covington, Wash., and Meghan Pinson of Fallbrook, Calif., coming into the freshman class. Coming from so far away, they never heard of AIC until I had the opportunity to talk to them about it.”

Macy and Denham appreciate the way the AIC athletic department and student body have embraced their sport.

“The college does a great job of growing our program. The NCAA doesn’t recognize rugby at the varsity level, but our own athletic department treats us like varsity, helping us recruit and develop student-athletes,” Macy said. 